


Experiments

by lifeinskinnyjeans



Category: Mass Effect
Genre: Blind Date, Double Dating, F/M, Prompt Fill
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-07-30
Updated: 2013-07-30
Packaged: 2017-12-21 20:34:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,690
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/904608
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lifeinskinnyjeans/pseuds/lifeinskinnyjeans
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>I received this prompt from a follower on tumblr: Shepard and Garrus have never met. James and Liara are best friends. They decide to try a double date, where James brings a friend for Liara to meet (Garrus) and Liara brings a date for James to meet (Shepard). But Shep and Garrus are more interested in each other than the people they are supposed to be there with...[ME3 AU.]</p>
            </blockquote>





	Experiments

**Author's Note:**

  * For [KiraMae](https://archiveofourown.org/users/KiraMae/gifts).



It was Wednesday, eight o'clock sharp. Liara knocked on the door of James' Citadel apartment, and James came to open it a few moments later. "How many times have I told you you can come right in, Doc?"

Liara answered with a friendly sigh. She stepped inside with the bagged bottle of wine in her hands and James closed the door behind her. "More times than I have ever been able to count." She held up the bottle of wine. "I brought the wine this time."

"You didn't have to. There's plenty here."

"The last time I believed that, I woke up passed out on the floor of your kitchen!"

James laughed. "But you had a good time!"

Liara sighed again, the smile on her face soft and friendly, something she really only reserved for James. "What did you make tonight?" she asked, moving into the kitchen.

"Baked salmon with grilled parsnips and a rice medley. I found the recipe on the extranet."

"And the ingredients?"

"Extranet." James smirked.

Liara returned his smirk with a smile of her own. "It sounds extravagant."

"The salmon's still got a few minutes in the oven, along with the parsnips, but the rice is..." James looked backwards over his shoulder at the rice, then pivoted on his left foot. "Done."

Liara smiled as she watched her best friend finish cooking. She watched another moment, and then walked up behind him to pull a pair of wine glasses down from the cabinet next to him. "I don't think I've ever heard of parsnips," she said, stepping up on tip-toe to reach the glasses.

James noticed her struggle out of the corner of his eye and hoisted her up the few inches off the floor she needed to reach the glasses. Liara smiled as she was set back down. It always amazed her how comfortable both she and James were around each other without ever having romantic feelings for one another. The notion that they were had certainly given James the source for many of his jokes over the past few years. "I hope you don't mind that I brought white wine."

"You did?" James asked, his eyes excited as he opened the oven door and the pair was washed in an intense heat.

Liara's smile warmed. "I did."

"You read my mind, Doc!" James exclaimed as he pulled on mitts to pull the salmon out of the oven. Liara laughed as she uncorked the wine bottle and began to pour them both a glass.

Liara sat back in her chair as her fork clinked against the plate. "I do believe you've outdone yourself, James."

He grinned as he finished his third glass of wine. "Thanks. I slaved in a hot kitchen for hours."

"Sure." Liara smirked as she sipped carefully at her fresh third glass. There was silence between the pair save for the clinking of metal on porcelain as she rose to clear the plates.

"You know what?" James called to Liara over the run of the water.

"Yes?"

"We need people."

Liara shut the water off. "What do you mean, James?"

"People. _Personajes._ " Liara raised an eyebrow. "You know, _mujeres._ "

"I don't speak Spanish, James."

" _Ladies._ " James saw Liara's puzzled face. "Or a man for you, whichever you prefer." Liara merely rolled her eyes and put the cork on the bottle of wine. There was just enough left for another glass for the pair of them, but Liara knew neither of them would be having any more for the night.

"We don't know anyone, James," Liara protested.

"We could try a double date!"

"A double date?" Liara had never heard of such a thing.

"It's where two couples go on a date together. We could make it a double blind date. We each bring a friend that we think the other would like and get along with," James explained.

Liara thought for a moment, swirling the remaining wine in her glass absentmindedly. "I don't see why not. When would we plan this?"

"How about tomorrow?"

"I think the friends we would bring would need further notice."

"Two days. Friday nights are perfect nights for going out and meeting people."

Liara gave James a small smile. "Okay. Friday night. Where?"

"Purgatory seems like a simple enough choice."

"I was thinking the same thing." James rose to his feet and grinned. "So I'll see you on Friday, Doc."

Liara's smile widened and she pulled James into a hug. He squeezed her a bit too hard, but she didn't let it show. She was almost used to things like that. "Friday. Good night, James."

"Night, Doc!"

++

On her way out of the apartment, Liara pulled up her contacts on her omni-tool. She sent a message to the friend she wanted to bring on Friday night to meet James. She had a feeling he would really like this one. She was a marine, like he was, one she had worked with extensively on previous missions. Sometimes they reminded Liara of each other, which she thought made them perfect for each other. _Shepard, are you doing anything on Friday night?_

Her reply came when she walked in the door of her own Citadel apartment. _Nothing, why?_

Liara pressed a button on her omni-tool to switch to a vidcall. "Shepard."

"Oh, hi, Liara. Didn't think you'd vidcall." She pushed wet hair out of her face.

"Why is your hair wet, Shepard?"

"I just got out of the shower, Liara."

"Oh. Well this will only take a second."

"What were you saying about Friday night?"

"James suggested that we go on a double date."

Shepard didn't answer for a moment, her face clearly showing her confusion. "So why did you ask me about Friday night if you two are going on a double date? You know I'm not seeing anyone."

"That's not what I meant, Shepard, and James and I are not going a date. We're each bringing someone for the other to meet, and I was going to ask you if you could come."

Shepard seemed to contemplate the idea. "You've told me enough about him that I've been intrigued. So why not?" Liara smiled. "Do you know who he's bringing?"

"No, Shepard, I just left James' apartment."

"Alright. Then I'll see you Friday night. What time and place?"

"I forgot to ask James about a time, but I think it's safe to assume eight o'clock. If that changes, I'll message you. But we agreed on meeting at Purgatory."

"I'll put that in my omni-tool. I'll see you on Friday." Liara nodded and the vidcall disconnected.

++

James thought it was better to message Garrus when he was sober. The turian might not take him seriously if he thought that James had been drinking, so after he pulled himself out of bed, he pulled his omni-tool from his dresser and sent off a message to Garrus. _Yo, Scars!_

His reply was waiting for him in the form of a pending vidcall when he returned from the bathroom. "What is it, James?"

"Didn't think you'd vidcall, Scars."

"It was easier than sending a reply message, I'm on my way out to coffee with a colleague."

"Ah, I'll keep this short then." Garrus merely nodded. "What are you doing tomorrow night?"

"Nothing, why?"

"Wondered if you wanted to join Liara and I for a double date."

"I thought you said you had no feelings for that asari."

James scowled. "That's not what I meant, Scars. Liara and I aren't going on a date. We're doing a double date and we're both bringing someone for the other to meet."

"Asari aren't really my type, James."

"She's beautiful, Garrus, seriously. I think you'll get along just fine."

"Who is she bringing?"

"I dunno, Scars, that's the whole point."

Garrus was quiet for a few moments. "Why not? It couldn't hurt, right?"

"That's the spirit, Scars! Eight o'clock tomorrow night at Purgatory, okay?" Garrus nodded and disconnected the vidcall. James set down his omni-tool and tried not to fall back asleep.

++

Friday night rolled around quickly. James and Garrus arrived a few minutes after eight o'clock, joking as they exited Garrus' skycar. James spotted Liara with a beautiful woman and smiled at the pair of them as he and Garrus approached. "Hey, Liara. I want you to meet a good friend of mine, Garrus Vakarian. Garrus, this is my best friend Liara T'soni."

The two shook hands politely and exchanged forced greetings. James tried to overlook it and really noticed how beautiful the woman Liara had brought with her was. He smiled at her again, and she returned it casually.

Liara looked back at James. "James, this is Ariana Shepard. She's an old friend of mine."

When James took Shepard's hand to shake it, he brought it up to his lips and kissed it. He couldn't pin down the emotion conveyed in her smile, but he noted that she wasn't blushing or looking away from his eyes as he relinquished her hand. "Let's go inside, shall we?" He stepped up to Shepard's ear and said, "First round of drinks is on me." He didn't see her smirk.

Neither James nor Liara noticed how long Shepard and Garrus looked at each other when he had first stepped out of the skycar.

Fortunately for them, there was a bit of a line at the bar, which gave Shepard and Garrus time to get to know each other while their supposed dates were trying to get them all drinks. "I'm sorry, what was your name again?" Garrus called to her over the pounding bass of the music.

"Shepard."

"You have a first name?"

"Yeah, but I hate people calling me by it."

"Can I know it anyway?"

"I'll tell you mine if you tell me yours."

Garrus' mandibles flicked in amusement as he also smirked at the witty red-haired woman. "You can know more than just my first name. Garrus Vakarian."

Shepard returned his smirk. "Ariana."

"Ariana Shepard? I don't think that name suits you."

Shepard raised her eyebrows and stole a glance at the bar. James and Liara hadn't moved an inch. "And why is that?" She wished she had something to drink in front of her, though. It would give her something to do under the intense blue gaze of the turian's eyes.

"The woman is much too beautiful for the name." Now Shepard blushed and looked away from Garrus. He also saw her lips move, but was unsure if she was saying something or not. "Sorry?"

She looked back up at him, her cheeks still pink. "What?"

"Did you say something?"

"No, it was...just a giggle."

"Glad I received a positive response."

Shepard giggled again. "So what do you do? Do you work on the Citadel?" Dammit, she really wished she had a drink!

Garrus nodded. "C-Sec."

"Really?" Shepard raised her eyebrows.

Garrus nodded. "And you?"

"I'm a marine in the Systems Alliance. I'm kind of a big deal."

The plates above Garrus' eyes rose. "It's rare to see a woman with such confidence."

"In case you hadn't made the connection, I'm _the_  Commander Shepard."

"Really?"

"Really."

It was then that James returned with drinks for him and Shepard. James slid a beer and a shot glass across the table to Shepard. She caught both and eyed him suspiciously. He looked up at Garrus and said, "Liara'll be here in a minute, she has to acquire a dextro-friendly drink." Garrus just nodded. "It looked like you two were hitting it off pretty well when we were at the bar."

Garrus and Shepard smirked at each other. "Yeah," Garrus answered, his mandibles flaring.

"So - you said your name was Shepard, right?" She sighed and turned her attention to James. Her smile much more forced this time as she answered him with a mere nod. "Like, _the_  Shepard?" She sighed and nodded again, obviously bored with the inane conversation. "Holy shit! You're Commander Shepard, the savior of the Citadel!"

"Could you not say that so loudly? I'd rather not have the entire club know," Shepard hissed, her eyes flaring with a slight anger.

James sat back, alarmed by her sudden outburst. "Yeah, sorry," he muttered, throwing back the shot.

He was grateful for Liara's return to the table with a drink for her and Garrus. She sat down before handing it to him across the table. "Sorry I was so long, it took much longer for the bartender to mix a dextro-friendly drink." Garrus nodded politely at her and closed his fingers around the glass. "So what is it that you do, Garrus?" Liara asked, taking a sip of her drink.

"C-Sec," Garrus answered curtly. Liara nodded, noticing his immediate closed-off reaction.

The next half the night proceeded awkwardly. Garrus and Shepard both almost outright refused to talk to their dates, but didn't want to blow them off by talking to each other, so they both thought of the same plan to be rid of them. "Why don't Shepard and I go get the next round?" Garrus suggested.

"Alright," James agreed.

Shepard scooted out of the booth and Garrus eagerly followed her down to the bar. "Great idea," she called to him as the two approached. "You're welcome." Garrus leaned forward against the bar and Shepard did the same, turned toward him. He couldn't help but notice the curve of her waist, outlined in flashing purple and pink from the lights in the club. He would love to hold his hand there tightly as the two of them danced in time to the resonating bass.

"I have nothing against James, he seems like a nice guy and all, but he's just too forward. And all that muscle doesn't do it for me," Shepard said.

"I don't consider asari my type. Liara is beautiful, but that's typical with most asari," Garrus replied.

"Liara's an old friend of mine. She and I worked together before. She's amazingly smart and a really great friend." Shepard signaled the bartender over.

"The same goes for James. He truly is a great guy, great friend, we met when the Alliance and C-Sec teamed up to take down a killer on the Citadel, but I understand what you're saying about him being forward. I've seen that in action before."

Shepard gave Garrus a surprised but confused look. "James is in the Alliance?"

"Yeah, but just a regular marine. Not anything like the famous Commander Shepard, first human Spectre."

Shepard blushed as the bartender dropped a drink down in front of Shepard. "You know, I kind of forget about that sometimes."

"Really?" Garrus' brow plates shot up as the bartender dropped a dextro-friendly drink in front of Garrus.

"Yeah," Shepard admitted with a breathy laugh.

James and Liara glanced down at the bar to see Garrus and Shepard chatting and laughing with drinks in their hands. James sighed and downed the shot that Shepard had never touched. "Fuck," he said.

"How were you to know that was going to happen?" Liara reassured him, placing a comforting and friendly hand on his shoulder.

"Whatever. I guess it's nice to see Garrus unwind. He's been running himself ragged at C-Sec lately," James admitted with a small scowl.

"I agree when it comes to Shepard. I haven't seen her doing much since she finished her last mission, and it's good to see her laughing and having a good time again," Liara agreed.

James slammed down the shot glass he had gotten for Shepard and stood up. "They won't notice if we leave. Come on."

"I'll drive you home," Liara said, leading James out of the club with a hand on his massive back.

James was right. Neither Shepard nor Garrus had noticed Liara and James had left until an hour and a half later, when Garrus mentioned something about going back to his apartment and finishing off a bottle of levo wine he had lying around his house. Both he and Shepard sent a message to James and Liara - respectively - when they reached Garrus' apartment: _Reached home/Garrus' apartment. Thanks for introducing us!_  Shepard added in her message to Liara _I'll tell you all about it tomorrow!_


End file.
